Sweet Potato Shepards Pie

I was partially listening to Rachael Ray at some point last week, and saw that she was making a sweet potato Shepards Pie. It sounded like a great idea to me, and so later that night when I was at work and bored out of my mind, I put together a recipe for a Veggie version. Since I wasn't paying a whole lot of attention to Rachael I'm not sure if this is anywhere close to the real thing, but it certainly tasted good, I can attest to that.

I melted cheese over the top since Rachael did, but in eating, it turned out the cheese is completely unnecessary, it was much better with the leftover cranberry sauce and gravy.

I am rather proud of this recipe, since it turned out so well, and I highly recommend you give it a shot, especially if you were ever a fan of the omnivore version.

Ingredients
4 large yams, peeled and cubed.
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup grated cheddar (optional)
1 medium onion, minced
5 large mushrooms, minced
1 tsp. liquid smoke
1/4 cup red wine
2 cups TVP
2 cups vegetable stock
2 tbsp. Bac-Uns
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. garlic salt
Salt and Pepper

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400F. Peel yams, cube, and boil until soft. Add Salt and Pepper, and mash.
2. Combine the stock, wine, and liquid smoke, and stir in TVP to reconstitute.
3. In a large skillet, add olive oil, garlic, onion, and spices. Cook until onions are just becoming translucent,and add mushrooms. Cook for another 1-2 minutes.
4. Add the TVP with liquids, and the peas. Simmer until everything has reduced and resembles ground beef.
5. Grease a large casserole dish. Coat the bottom with the TVP/Vegetable mixture, and layer the mashed sweet potatoes over that. If desired, cover with grated cheese. Bake for 15 minutes.

Once this had been sitting out for a few minutes it held its shape much better...I simple couldn't wait that long for my first serving, so the picture is a bit more abstract...
Selah.